Mon Ami
by bitterending
Summary: The blonde boy didn't look particularly frantic, nor did he look excited, or nervous, or angry. This is what worried Kyouya most. Companion to Pride. [TamakixKyouya] vaguely AU, if you squint.


Disclaimer: The characters in this story do not belong to me.

"Alright, alright, I'm _coming_." Kyouya threw his ledger heatedly onto the end table beside him as he got to his feet and made his way to the door, which was–at the moment–being bashed violently with a very incessant fist. Sure it was raining, but there _was_ a rather large awning right in front of the door. No one should be _that_ desperate to get inside. _Where is the damn butler when you need him, anyway?_ Kyouya thought distractedly, swinging the front door widely to reveal the late-night visitor.

There was a long moment of silence while Kyouya assessed the situation. "T-Tamaki?" The blonde boy didn't look particularly frantic, nor did he look excited, or nervous, or angry. This is what worried Kyouya most. "What's wrong?" Kyouya looked past him briefly to see there was no limo parked outside; no car at all. Not even a bicycle. "Did-did you _walk_ all the way down here?" He paused and glanced over Tamaki's soaked and shivering body. "…without an umbrella?"

"I-I didn't want to wake…anybody…"

Tamaki's voice was unnaturally timid and disturbingly quiet. Feeling the hair stand up on the back of his neck, Kyouya stepped swiftly aside, gesturing his friend indoors. "What's wrong? What–?" Kyouya cut himself off when he noticed Tamaki's head was bowed to hide his face, his shoulders trembling. Quiet tears were not normal for Tamaki. Everything Tamaki ever did was always loud and obnoxious. Why was he being so damn _quiet_? "Tamaki-kun?"

Kyouya yelped as Tamaki's arms were abruptly flung around his neck. He cringed slightly at the feel of wet clothes against his chest, but didn't push him away. Tamaki's teeth were chattering gently, his damp face buried in the crook of Kyouya's neck. When he finally spoke, it was barely audible over the deafening silence, "She's gone."

"Oh, God…" Kyouya felt the other boy sobbing, but failed to hear it. The hot tears and violent shaking came as excruciatingly early warning signs to sobs that never came. Almost as if he had trained for this moment–maybe, subconsciously, he had–Kyouya shoved all his usual thoughts from his mind, uncharacteristically making way for compassion. Unsure of what to say, Kyouya simply wrapped his arms around Tamaki's shoulders, ignoring the graceless squelching in effort to be of some comfort.

"I'm sorry…" Tamaki whispered hoarsely, "I just…I didn't want–to be alone." Kyouya bit his lip and nodded. Knowing a verbal invitation was unnecessary; Kyouya led him gently to the bathroom and sat him on the edge of the tub, carefully reaching over him to start up the bath. He pulled a large fluffy towel from a nearby cupboard and set it on the counter. He turned back to say he'd return momentarily, only to see that Tamaki hadn't moved at all since being directed to the porcelain edge. Sighing, Kyouya knelt in front of his best friend and looked at him nervously.

"Do you want to clean up?" Instead of answering, Tamaki leaned forward and pressed his forehead on Kyouya's shoulder. Kyouya nodded, sympathetically ruffling the King's hair before undressing him wordlessly. It seemed oddly natural to the both of them, like it had been done many times before. Tamaki sat limply; watching as Kyouya tenderly untied his shoes and removed his slacks. Neither of them seemed to notice the awkwardness of nudity as Kyouya kindly guided Tamaki into the tub before turning to leave him in privacy.

He gave a start when he felt a wet hand clamp around his wrist. Vaguely exasperated, he looked back to see Tamaki blinking helplessly at him and sighed. With a weary nod, Kyouya took a seat on the white marble step next to the bathtub. He took note, after a moment, that Tamaki hadn't released his hand. He glanced over to see Tamaki sitting idly in the tub, staring blankly at the tiled wall opposite. "Tamaki…" Kyouya sounded benevolently irritated, gently pulling his hand from Tamaki's grasp to pet back his hair. Tamaki's only response was to clench his now empty fist around thin air.

Kyouya calmly picked up the bar of soap and rolled it smoothly in his hands until he was satisfied with the lather he'd collected. It would have felt unusual if it hadn't felt so _normal_ at the moment. Tamaki didn't even flinch when he felt Kyouya's soft hands against his back. It was almost as if somewhere in the middle of all the name calling, they had actually _become_ a married couple. Kyouya tugged softly at Tamaki's shoulder, silently ordering him to lean back so Kyouya could wash his chest. Almost robotically, Tamaki complied, shutting his eyes tiredly as his head met tile.

Both boys felt a blush creep up their neck as Kyouya dutifully, albeit hastily, washed between Tamaki's legs. "C'mon…" Kyouya whispered, tucking his hands on either side of Tamaki's shoulder and hoisting him to his feet. Kyouya pulled the ivory showerhead from its clasp, turning on the water so that it shot in a subtle arc from the shower. Tamaki stood completely still as Kyouya rinsed away the soap. Kyouya looked at the tile floor with a frown, watching the water begin to pool in the grouting. Sighing, Kyouya stepped fully-clothed into the shower, shutting the curtain behind him to keep the floor from getting worse.

After his face had been rinsed, Tamaki rested his head on Kyouya's shoulder again, not registering that he was drenching his best friend's favourite shirt. Kyouya said nothing as he tried to wash Tamaki's hair while trying to avoid getting shampoo in the blonde's eyes. "Lift your head for just a minute." He ordered gently, already guiding Tamaki's face upwards.

Kyouya felt slightly uneasy with Tamaki staring at him with eyes that clearly said, _why are you doing all this?_ Kyouya shrugged faintly; biting back the urge to answer aloud with a philosophical _I have no idea._ Once the soap was rinsed completely from his hair, Tamaki's head returned to Kyouya's shoulder, causing Kyouya to smile briefly.

He was finished quickly after that, and shut off the water, grabbing the towel off the counter and patting down Tamaki's hair and face before letting him finish drying himself off. Kyouya realized with a disdainful click of his tongue that his impulsive action was now mocking him with ironic consequence. Due to the shower soaking through his clothes, he was leaving puddles everywhere he stepped. With an angry and vaguely embarrassed growl, he stripped himself off his slacks and rung out his shirt over the tub.

"Alright…let's get you into some dry clothes." Tamaki looked blankly at him, as if wondering if Kyouya was talking to himself or to Tamaki. Kyouya smirked and shrugged, as if to say, _both_.

Kyouya led Tamaki by the hand to his bedroom, where he presented him with a pair of flannel pajamas. "Here." He grumbled, grabbing another pair for himself. Kyouya dressed quickly before turning back to Tamaki, shocked to see that he had dressed himself and was now sitting hunched on Kyouya's bed.

Kyouya shifted his weight uncomfortably from one foot to the other. "Okay," he said finally, "You just…get some rest, okay? And I'll sleep in the–" he stopped even before Tamaki started shaking his head. _Of course,_ Kyouya thought to himself, _Tamaki had said he didn't want to be alone. Why would he even bother to leave his house just to sleep alone in mine? _"Right. I'm sorry. I'll go get the spare–" Mutely, Tamaki grabbed Kyouya's arm and wrenched him hard, forcing him to sit next to him on the bed.

"Here." His voice was hushed and cracking, "I want you _here_." Kyouya nodded, unable to feel flustered or annoyed as he usually might, and untucked the bed. Tamaki crawled in first, facing away from Kyouya as if he were embarrassed about asking this particular favour, despite the fact that Kyouya had just finished bathing him. Kyouya crawled in beside him, feeling the blonde jerk slightly as he brushed against him. They both lay in silence for a moment before Kyouya realized that Tamaki was shuddering again. Absentmindedly, Kyouya gathered the other in his arms and held him close. "Shh," he whispered gently in Tamaki's hair, "I've got you…"

Tamaki's cries finally a developed voice, rising to a sickening volume as he twisted violently to bury his face in Kyouya's chest, his tears soaking through the other's pajama top. Unsure of what else to do, Kyouya pulled Tamaki closer, holding him tightly with both arms and curling around his friend's huddled body as much as possible. Tamaki clung tightly to Kyouya's shirt, as if worried his nickname of "Kaa-san" automatically gave him the same mortal fate as Tamaki's own mother.

Kyouya was utterly silent as Tamaki's sobs racked through his body. Nothing he could say could console the boy now, he knew that, but he was by no means used to it. Urgently wanting to help in some way, Kyouya took to gently stroking Tamaki's back until the wails had subsided. They stayed frozen like that for what seemed like an hour, and Kyouya could tell that Tamaki was starting to drift to sleep. "Mon ami…" came a soft whisper somewhere at his chest, and then the blonde was asleep.

AN: Sorry about the slight AU-ness of Tamaki's mother's story (let alone Kyouya's having a conscience/soul XD) I wrote this AS I WAS DOWNLOADING the episode that told the whole story. I was pissed when they basically made it juuuust so that this story would no longer fit cannon. XD; I decided slapping an AU on the warnings would make it all game, so that's what I did. Ha.


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